The Last Voyage of the Emir

by David Riley

  After replenishing his pharmacy, Luke ambled slowly back to the port, savoring his time on land. The day was overcast but the clouds did not seem ominous. There was a good breeze. All in all, it seemed like a good day to set sail for the short voyage to Phoenix. It would only be a few more hours on the ship before a good long time ashore for the winter. This fact made the prospect of boarding the ship tolerable.

  Luke and the ship’s captain rode back to The Emir together and were the last to arrive. The remainder of the passengers, officers, and crew that had gone ashore had made their way back shortly before them. On the way back to the ship, Luke asked the captain about the weather.

  “The wind is in our favor today. I talked to the other ships’ officers in port, and the squall they faced a couple of days ago should be long gone by now. There should be fair seas and I expect we will be in port by supper time,” he answered. His confidence was reassuring.

  Luke went to his quarters to put away his new supplies. On deck, the crew were all working with purpose, making ready to depart. All were eager to make this short, easy trip to Phoenix so they could relax on shore for a few months. He passed by Temeros and greeted him.

  “Hey, my friend. How’s the shoulder feeling?”

  Temeros subconsciously rubbed at the shoulder, wincing slightly. “I think it is better today. I’m hoping to be able to get back to some useful work soon.” He yawned and stretched cautiously.

  “Did the pain keep you awake?” Luke asked, noticing the tired expression on his face.

  “Not really. I think it was a bad dream.” He responded.

  “Well, we should be in port this evening and able to have a couple of months on dry land during the winter to rest and recover,” Luke said, turning toward his quarters. “See me later and I’ll check the shoulder again.”

  “Ok, I’ll come by soon.”

  Temeros turned to watch the activity on the deck. He had an unsettled feeling when he woke that morning. He knew he had dreamed about the fire again that night and had tossed and turned a little. But he felt there was something more. For some strange reason, he was thinking about his father, and it was not a happy thought. As hard as it was to lose him in the fire, he still had a lot of anger toward him. Theirs had been a tumultuous relationship.

  He sighed as he shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He still had his arm in a sling, but the pain was much better. His headache was better as well.

  He moved over to the side of the deck where he would not be in the way, as he watched the sailors preparing. There was a small group of older sailors nearby and he could overhear them talking about the weather.

  “I tell you, my knees are aching today more than they have for weeks! I think we are in for some rain!”

  “I heard there had been some squalls west of here in the past few days, but the captain is sure they have cleared up,” another responded.

  “I don’t care what he says. Something is in the works and we better be ready!” the first said again.

  Another sailor joined in. “I think you’re right! The sky was pretty red this morning, and we all know what that means!”

  “I’m just glad we only have a short journey to Phoenix and then we can stay anchored there for the winter.”

  Temeros listened to this exchange distractedly, not really paying attention. He was already thinking of spending time on solid ground for the winter.

  Chapter Fifteen

  By midmorning, their preparations were complete. The captain barked out orders to weigh anchor and trim the sails as he stood at the helm ready to steer out of the harbor. The sails snapped and billowed, catching the wind, and the ship began to move slowly toward the sea, the small boat tethered to the stern following them.

  The breeze was a welcome change, and the mood on the deck seemed bright with anticipation. The clouds had become heavy above them, but the crew, for the most part, did not seem to notice. They were all focused on their assigned tasks.

  The ship cleared the mouth of the harbor and turned west. Fair Havens was open to the south of the island and the Harbor was not very protected. As they proceeded along the coast of Crete, they could see a promontory of land extending into the sea, far ahead in the distance. Phoenix lay many miles to the north and west with natural protection from the shoreline creating a partial barrier to the weather in the windward zone near the coast. As they saw the contour of the island, the captain and crew were more confident they had made the right choice in moving there for the winter.

  After about an hour, the ship was approaching the spit of land where the island turned sharply north. The captain planned to angle northwest after passing by that point rather than hugging the shoreline as he had been doing so far. He glanced at the sky and frowned. The clouds had darkened with some storm clouds to the north, but the wind still seemed to favor their course. He gave the men orders to trim the sails setting the desired course.

  —————

  After the excitement of preparing for the journey had worn off, Temeros had decided to find Luke. He found him in his quarters organizing his supplies, cataloging what he had on a sheet of parchment.

  “Hi, Luke!” he called as he stuck his head in the doorway. “Is there anything I can do to help you? What are you working on?”

  Luke glanced up briefly. “Oh, hi, Temeros. I’m just trying to take an inventory of my supplies as we get ready to anchor for the winter. It is always good to be organized! Maybe you can help me sort them and put them in their proper place.”

  “Sure. I need something to do. Do you always keep a list like this?”

  “I have learned the hard way that it helps to know what I have and where it is. There have been a few times through the years that I did not have what I thought I had and patients suffered because of it! Anything I can do to keep track of what I have used may be important the next time someone is in need.”

  Temeros began sorting the bandages, roots, herbs, and so on. Luke was a patient teacher, pointing out what treatments were best to keep together. The work moved along quickly and soon the list was complete.

  Luke carefully placed the parchment in a leather folder and filed it on a shelf next to the table. Temeros noticed a larger bundle of similar parchments on the shelf as well.

  “You must have been doing this for many years to have that many lists of supplies!”

  Luke was momentarily confused but then saw the papers Temeros had indicated. He smiled. “No, that is not my medical papers. That is something much more important!”

  “More important than treating the sick?”

  “Yes, I believe so,” Luke responded, a more serious expression on his face. “For the past couple of years, I have been gathering as much information as I can about Jesus. I have been traveling, talking to the disciples that lived with Him day in and day out. They actually saw Him do miraculous works, healing the sick and raising the dead. They heard His teaching from His very lips. And they were there the night He was betrayed and executed by the Romans.”

  Temeros listened in rapt attention as Luke continued. “There have been many accounts of His life passed along to the churches, but no one seems to have a complete narrative of His teachings and actions. I wanted to go back to those who could give a firsthand accounting, the eyewitnesses, to ensure that we know for certain what He taught and did. I have gathered the information and now I need to organize it so it can be circulated. I hoped to have time to work on it on the ship, but I imagine I will be able to make some progress over the winter in port.”

  “I would love to know more. Would it be possible for me to read it when it is done?”

  “Of course,” Luke answered.

  The ship gave a sudden lurch and the deck slanted down slightly as it fell into the next wave. Temeros had a startled expression on his face.

  “We must be getting further out from shore. The weather must have changed as we have been in here working.” Luke patted his arm reassuringly. “Don’t worry! I’m sure it will smoo
th out soon. We should only have a few hours until we arrive in Phoenix. Let’s go out on deck and take a look. We can talk about this later.”

  —————

  Julius and Gaius were on deck watching all of the activity, glad to finally have some wind in the sails and actually feel the progress as the ship plowed through the water. They noticed the dark clouds but trusted the experienced sailors enough to feel safe in their hands. The prisoners remained below, closely guarded so they would not be in the way of the crew.

  The ship passed the point of land at Cape Matala and began to move further away from shore as it angled toward the north. The waves seemed choppier as they reached the deeper water, and the ship began to bob up and down a bit more. Gaius gripped the railing tighter.

  “Oh, great!” he said, breathing deeply. “I was enjoying the calmer seas we’ve been having up until now.”

  Julius chuckled. “Calm seas may be more comfortable but we don’t make much progress in them. At least we have a good strong breeze to get us there quicker! You just need to endure this for about three more hours and we will be home free.”

  Gaius nodded and faced into the wind. He began to feel better after a few minutes, anticipating a nice long stretch on land.

  —————

  Thirty minutes later, the clouds were noticeably darker, and they were all startled to see lightning flashing in the distance to the north over land. The wind still seemed to be favorable, but the captain and crew wore a more concerned expression and their actions were more focused on the task at hand as they frequently looked to the north and east.

  The mountains along the coast had blocked their view of the gathering clouds, but now as they sailed further west, there was a sudden burst of wind from the north and west that had gathered strength as it blew through a narrow valley opening to the coast. This came with enough force to cause the ship to turn further west than north, and the deck slanted down to the port side.

  Over the next hour, the sea became rougher and the clouds darkened even more. The wind, which had been favorable from the south at the beginning of the day, now battled against them. The sails were no longer billowing but were flapping as the wind had changed direction. The waves were flecked with whitecaps all around them, and The Emir was beginning to shudder slightly as it hit some of the bigger waves.

  The captain bellowed out orders to trim the sails further as he also directed the helmsman. It became apparent it was a losing battle, however. Now the wind was blowing fiercely from the northeast, directing them further off course. The clouds were moving quickly and began to swirl around in a spiral. There were areas with noticeable lowering of the clouds, causing a funnel shape pointing toward the sea in the distance. In response, the water sent up sprays of water, and the surface was covered in whitecaps. The waves began to build into hills and valleys.

  The older sailor with the bad knees was the first to say it, but soon the rest of the crew were passing it along. The word was repeated all over the deck. “Euroclydon!”

  Gaius had been noticing the change in demeanor of the crew, and as they became more concerned, he felt a deep worry rising up in his own mind. One of the crew paused nearby gazing intently out to the north and east as the clouds began to move closer, and Gaius called out to him

  “What is it everyone is saying? What is this ‘Euroclydon’?”

  The man answered without turning toward him, keeping his focus on the clouds. “It is a strong northeast wind, notorious in this part of the sea for blowing ships off their course. It comes up very quickly, with little or no warning. We have all heard stories of ships getting caught in a sudden storm and disappearing, never to be seen again!”

  Another crew member nearby reprimanded him. “Don’t say that. We only have two hours to our port. Surely we will not have trouble this close to Crete. There is no need to frighten the landlubbers with scary stories!” But as he said this, there were lines of worry etched on his forehead, and he, too, was watching the sky.

  The men hurried on to continue their duties on the ship, as Gaius turned a worried gaze on Julius.

  Julius’ smile had faded. “Not to worry, Gaius!” He tried to sound reassuring, but the strained expression on his face belied his inner turmoil. “The captain has sailed these waters many times and we are very close to shore. If there is any problem, surely he can just head for the nearest shoreline to wait out the storm.” He seemed to be trying to reassure himself as much as Gaius.

  “I hope you’re right!” Gaius muttered as he gripped the gunwales tighter.

  Within a few minutes, even the soldiers who had never been on a ship could tell the storm was going to be a problem. The ship began to lean toward the port side as the wind strengthened and swung around to the northeast. The captain gave a constant stream of orders, and the crew fought valiantly to adjust the sails so they could tack to the north and west, but the battle was lost.

  Finally the captain ordered them to set the sails at an angle to the wind and tied off the tiller in an effort to keep the rudder pointed roughly west, letting the storm drive them.

  —————

  Down in the hold, the prisoners could feel a change in the ship and knew something was wrong. The soldiers had been milling around, talking in hushed tones, and some that had been on deck came down to report what had happened.

  Aristarchus had developed a rapport with a few of the soldiers and was able to get their attention. He came back and reported to Paul that there was a fast-developing storm and the ship was not able to go toward the port. Instead they were being driven west and south, further away from Crete.

  Immediately there was a wave of fear and anxiety that swept through the prisoners. The soldiers were already nervous, and now, unrest and panic began to affect those in the hold. Paul could sense what was happening.

  “Listen to me!” he called out in a strong voice. “Listen!” he repeated. Those near him, who had been influenced by his teaching, turned and shushed the crowd, and slowly they began to quiet.

  “We must trust God. He knows we are here and He has promised to never forsake us!”

  The ship lurched and the deck slanted as it crashed into another wave. There was an audible gasp from those in the hold.

  “What can he do? This storm will wreck us!” someone shouted.

  “God is greater than the storm,” Paul assured them.

  “If he is so great, why did he send us into the storm to begin with?!” another joined in. “If you are his servant, and if he loves you, he would have made this a smooth journey!”

  At this, Paul and Aristarchus laughed out loud.

  “What’s so funny?” The man said, now beginning to sound more annoyed than fearful.

  “We were never promised smooth sailing,” Paul said with a chuckle. “Our Lord, Jesus Himself, taught that in this world, we will have tribulations. In fact, He was caught in a storm with his disciples on the Sea of Galilee!”

  A few more of the prisoners turned at this, interested. Although the ship continued its irregular movements in the rough seas, the fear seemed to be subsiding as they were listening to him speak.

  “It must not have been much of a storm, if the Lord was caught in it. Surely God would not have put him in danger before his ministry was finished!” someone reasoned out loud.

  “On the contrary,” Paul said calmly, “His disciples, who had spent much of their lives in boats on the sea fishing, were actually panicking, fearful for their lives. And yet our Lord was at peace, sleeping in the back of the little boat.”

  The group around him looked incredulous at this. “So he was going to let his disciples perish?”

  “Not at all!” Paul answered. “He was at peace because He has power over all of His creation. When His disciples came and woke Him, they were terrified, sure they were about to sink. Water was filling their boat. And yet, when they were most afraid, they turned to the Lord himself, telling him their fear.”

  “And what good did that do?”
someone asked.

  Paul and Aristarchus shared a smile as Paul answered. “He woke up and scolded the storm!”

  The prisoners stared at him as though he had told them a bad joke. “Of course he did. Why don’t we try yelling at the wind and see what happens!” they said sarcastically.

  But a few were still paying close attention. “What happened?” they asked in anticipation.

  Paul smiled reassuringly. “As soon as He spoke to the storm, it stopped.”

  The group around him gasped and murmured to each other. Even some of the soldiers nearby were listening closely.

  Paul continued, “Then, He rebuked His disciples for their lack of faith. They were astonished that the wind and waves obeyed even just His voice.”7 He paused, looking around at the prisoners, and then continued with deep conviction in his voice. “We can be confident that our Lord will not leave us alone in the middle of this storm. The wind and waves still know His voice and His power. He may not choose to calm the storm, but I can assure you He is with us as we ride through it. We must keep our faith focused on Him rather than letting fear take us.”

  As he spoke, the soldiers could see there was a noticeable calm spreading through the prisoners. They breathed easier.

  —————

  Deeper still, in the lowest hold, Demetrius also was aware of a change in the ship. The deck was rocking more and the creaking of the hull was magnified. Where he was sitting on the floor, leaning against the bulkhead, he was suddenly aware of water soaking into his clothes. He quickly jumped up and turned around. The wall was wet to touch, but so far nothing was accumulating in the deck below his feet. He knew it was only a matter of time, however, and began to greatly regret his decision to stow away on this death trap.

  Anger began to consume him. Not only did Paul take away his livelihood and his wife and son, now he was going to take his life as well. He could feel rage building and decided to find him before that happened.